Khufu the Awakener

Born in 2609 BC, Khufu is known by many titles such as the Awakener, the King of Kings, High King of Egypt, Lord of the Earth, Monarch of the Sky, Ruler of the Four Horizons, Mighty Lion of the Infinite Desert, Great Hawk of the Heavens, Majestic Emperor of the Shifting Sands and President of All Egypt. Khufu was the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty, famous for building the Great Pyramid at Giza and more recently, being one of the first Risen to step into the public eye.

Khufu's full name is Khnum-Khufwy, which means '[the god] Khnum protect me'. He is the son of Sneferu and Queen Hetepheres I, and is believed to have had three wives. He is famous for building the Great Pyramid at Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Khufu came to the throne during his twenties, and at once began work on his pyramid. The entire project took about 23 years to complete, during which time 2,300,000 building blocks, weighing an average of 2.5 tons each, were moved. His nephew Hemiunu was appointed head of construction for the Great Pyramid. Khufu was the first pharaoh to build a pyramid at Giza. The sheer scale of this monument stands as testament to his skills in commanding the material and human resources of his country. It is now believed the pyramids were built using conscripted labour rather than slaves. The idea that Khufu used slaves to build the pyramid comes from Greek historian Herodotus. He also describes Khufu as a cruel and wicked leader who prostituted his daughter when he ran short of money. But the Westcar Papyrus describes Khufu as a traditional oriental monarch: good-natured, amiable to his inferiors and greatly knowledgeable in the nature of human existence and magic.

Khufu had all but fallen into obscurity after his mummification, and only a single small statue remained by the time his was awoken in 1942. Whilst exploring hidden chambers in the Great Pyramid, members of the Ahnenerbe Project accidentally awoke Khufu from his hibernation. At first they treated the Risen monarch as friend, escorting him outside the Pyramid and back to their camp. Once there they explained what had passed in the years since his death and the current state of world affairs, including the war. They pressured Khufu into revealing his secret of resurrection, but were disgruntled to learn the king couldn’t himself remember. All the Great Pharaoh knew was that he was a king, a king of a kingdom long forgotten. He bid his new companions wait and returned inside the Pyramid in order to meditate and try to remember.

It was in the Pyramid that Khufu beseeched the Old Gods of Egypt, whose names came unbidden to his mind. His vision clouded as smoke rose from around the animal headed statues in his burial chamber. Voices began to whisper in his mind, telling him who he was, who the Gods were and reminding him of the days of old when he ruled as the ‘King of Kings’. Outside in the evening gloom, a sudden beam of pure sunlight was seen to strike the Great Pyramid. A crowned began to gather, despite the Ahnenerbe members strong assurances that everything was fine, and a cry went up as Khufu emerged from his Pyramid crowned in golden light, a king returned to his kingdom.

Khufu spent the next year rebuilding Egypt to his vision and, more importantly, awakening as many Risen as he could find. The Allied spies reported all that took place back to their disbelieving superiors but, by the time Khufu joined the war, the Allies had no idea of the extent of his power. After huge losses in Khufu’s early assaults, the Allies retreated and Khufu reigned in Egypt again. After the fall of the Third Reich diplomats spent a year in Khufu’s court forging diplomatic relations, explaining why the Nazis had not been the allies Khufu was lead to believe and that the Great King had been tricked into joining the wrong side. Khufu took this revelation with great humility, publicly apologising for his role in the war, sending huge sums of gold to the families of those who lost their lives during his campaign. But the damage had been done and may saw Khufu as the monster Herodotus portrayed him as in years past. Nether the less, Khufu brought Egypt into the Grand Alliance upon its formation. To this day, he remains the only member of a race other than humanity to hold sovereignty over a nation.